A head-turning round of statistics regarding the officiating of referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea in fixtures featuring Spanish football’s two biggest clubs have surfaced on Saturday evening.
This comes after Barcelona emerged triumphant from a dramatic affair, at the expense of Real Betis.
Hansi Flick’s rampant La Liga table-toppers made the trip to Seville a short time ago, ultimately romping to a 5-2 victory to keep alive their flawless opening to the new campaign.
The Blaugrana’s victory was not without its controversies, though, as Betis saw a stunning equaliser ruled out by VAR late in the first-half, before Facundo Bernal was shown a straight red card for a needless headbutt towards Lamine Yamal.
Referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea was the man ultimately responsible for these decisions, and, by the rules and regulations currently in place in Spain, will have every right to defend his actions.
But as alluded to above, this fact does not change the stark contrast in numbers in fixtures overseen by Bengoetxea involving Barcelona and Real Madrid.
As revealed by statistician Fran Martinez, across his La Liga career to date, in outings featuring Barca, Bengoetxea has been responsible for the following:
- 1 red card for Barcelona
- 11 red cards for opposing players
On the other hand, in games with Real Madrid as protagonists, the official has racked up the following numbers:
- 5 red cards for Real Madrid
- 2 red cards for opposing players
Conor Laird – GSFN